


Equestrian Psycho

by PyroMance8884



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Power Rangers
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Anthropomorphic Ponies (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Crossover, Displaced, F/F, F/M, Multi, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2020-05-30 18:00:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19408465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyroMance8884/pseuds/PyroMance8884
Summary: My name is Chris Scott. I used to lead a normal life, or at least, as normal as I could make it. That is until I decided to go to Power Morphicon dressed as a Psycho Ranger. Or maybe I should blame the shady vendor.... Either way, I'm now stuck in a war-ravaged Equestria. Apparently, King Mondo decided to make his new vacation home here. The locals didn't take it very well. To add to everything else, our new roommate isn't helping anything....





	1. Paint Me Red and Call Me Psycho

Equestrian Psycho

Chapter 1- Paint Me Red and Call Me Psycho

Chris Scott walked through the convention center without a care in the world. Power Morphicon had been just as fun as he had imagined, especially with all the other cosplays around him. However, it did remind him of the one shortcoming of his own cosplay. Despite all his many months of work, he simply hadn't had the time to complete the helmet to his Psycho Ranger Yellow costume.

_Maybe I shouldn’t have spent so much time on the gauntlet,_ he thought, glancing down at the aforementioned accessory. He had paid special attention to that part of the suit, modifying the specifications in order to hold his smartphone snugly in the center rectangle to be accessed from his wrist. Chris let out a sigh as he walked between the sales booths. _If I hadn’t, maybe I could have finished the helmet._ He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He lifted his head to look over the crowd, trying to find one face in particular.

He’d heard through the grapevine that the original green ranger would be making a surprise appearance from one of the booths, but he had yet to find it. He finally stopped to get a better look around. However, after a few moments of no luck, Chris began to feel a little letdown. “Ugh! Curse you, James, and your mind games,” he grumbled quietly to himself.

“Excuse me, sir.”Chris turned towards the voice to find that the vendor whose booth he had stopped in front of was the one to call on him. The vendor seemed to be dressed up as the bounty hunter who found the Psycho data cards for Deviot in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy.

“Oh, sorry. I was just trying to get a better look around,” Chris said, an apologetic smile spreading across his face.

“No need for apologies,” the vendor said, waving his hand reassuringly. “However, maybe there’s something here you’d be interested in.”

Chris looked down at all the “novelty” items spread out across the table, although nothing really caught his eye. “Nah, sorry, sir,” Chris said, shaking his head, “but I don’t think you got anything for me.”

“Hold on a moment,” the vendor said, stopping Chris before he could move away. “I think I might have something for you.” The vendor bent down behind his booth and rummaged around underneath. Chris stood by patiently, not wanting to be rude, but wanting to get back to his search as soon as possible. “Here we are,” Chris heard from beneath the table, the vendor standing back up again, a cloth bundle in his hands. “This should interest you,” he said, handing the bundle to Chris.

Chris rolled the bundle around in his hands for a moment before unwrapping it. What he uncovered simply amazed him. “No way,” he exclaimed, because, in his hands, he held a perfect replica of Psycho Yellow’s helmet. “How’d you get this?” he asked, still staring at the helmet.

“Oh, I have my ways,” was the only response.

Chris was too busy admiring the helmet to notice the creepy change in the vendor’s tone. “It’s so cool. How mu-” Chris was cut off as he looked up at the vendor to find him holding his hand up.

“Have fun,” he said, snapping his fingers. Before Chris could comprehend what was happening, he blacked out.

* * *

Light filtered through the leaves of the dark forest trees, the slight breeze causing them to rustle. Chris was laid out in the middle of a clearing, the trees growing towards the center to block out the sun. Slowly, Chris began to moan groggily as he came back his senses. “Oh… what happened?” he asked out loud, sitting up and bringing his hand to his head. When he did he felt a foreign weight on his wrist. _What?_ He thought, finally opening his eyes to look at the uncomfortable restriction. On his wrist sat a strange device, a black brace with an oval contraption, a strange gold symbol imprinted on top. The symbol looked like an upside down M with exaggerated angles and points. “Huh,” was all he could think to say, “weird.”

He took his eyes off the device and finally took a look at his surroundings. “Aw, man, not again,” he said, figuring he had had another episode when he found himself in the middle of a forest. He stood up and looked himself over. Even though he was wearing clothes he wasn’t familiar with, a red t-shirt, black leather jacket, dark blue jeans, and dark combat boots, he didn’t find any new wounds that had come to be a tell-tale sign of his second personality taking over. “Well, that’s new,” He said to himself, wondering if Samson had broken the habit of hurting them to spite him.

“Either way, he’s gotten me into a real mess,” Chris stated, looking around to figure out which direction would be best. “Maybe I should go-”

A scream cut off whatever Chris was about to say, and he took off in the direction of the scream without a second thought, two goals in mind. First, the voice might belong to someone who knew the area better than he did, and second, whoever it was, they were in trouble. He ran between the trees, dodging low-hanging branches and jumping over roots that grew out of the ground. He didn’t run very far before coming across the scene and stopping. What he saw he couldn’t believe.

A dozen or so of what looked to be cogs from Power Rangers Zeo crowded around in a circle, but that wasn’t what threw Chris off. In the middle of all the chaos stood an anthropomorphic Starlight Glimmer and Sweetie Belle standing over an injured Scootaloo, magic charged up and ready to fire. Even brandishing spells, Starlight and Sweetie were in a bad way, sweat dripping from both of them, and blood running down Sweetie’s face from a cut above her eye. The cogs were slowly closing in, forcing the mages closer together.

Chris reeled from all the new information before shaking his head, a look of determination hardening on his face. _Whatever the case,_ he thought, t _hey still need help… but how?_

_Use the sword,_ came a strange voice from inside his head, catching him off guard. A voice in his head was nothing new, but this wasn’t Samson.

_What?_ He replied mentally, asking more from the confusion of a new voice in his head than the reference to a weapon he did not have.

_Use the sword,_ it said again. Suddenly, instructions were “transferred” directly to Chris, telling him what to do. Chris hesitated a moment, looking down at the device on his arm, and heard a soft thud. Sweetie had fallen to one knee, breathing heavily as sweat and blood dripped off her chin. That was all it took. Chris threw one last glance at the device and ran full force towards the crowd of cogs. As he ran, he lifted his left arm in a ninety-degree angle and brought his right hand over the opposite wrist, the center of the device flipping open to reveal a screen with the image of a sword appearing. Some of the cogs noticed the disturbance and began turning.

Chris took this as a sign to pick up the pace. He leaped into the air, drawing both arms back to the left. “Deploy, Psycho Sword!” He shouted in midair, clenching his hand around the now-forming handle. As his momentum carried him forwards and down, he swung his arm out, the sword forming from bright red grid lines. The blade sliced across the chests of three cogs -sparks flying from their mechanical bodies- before his feet hit the ground, tucking his body forward and rolling through the crowd, and coming to a stop in front of the trio of ponies. He stood and turned, shifting sideways so that his left side was towards the mass of robots, one foot in front of the other, bringing his arm to his side so the blade rested at an angle to his body, raising his head to stare at the enemy. “So,” he began, settling into a back stance and bringing the sword parallel to his chest, a wild grin crossing his face to match the fire in his eyes. “Who’s next?”

A few cogs in the front ran forward, crossing each other’s paths and moving to flank him. Chris stood his ground as the bots charged him. The one to his left got to him first, and swung out with its fist, aiming for his head. Chris caught the attack with his left hand and held the machine in place until its comrade came into range. As it did, Chris flipped the blade in his hand, bringing it into an underhand grip before slashing both opponents across the chest. Sparks flew as the attack connected, dropping both cogs at his feet. The remaining cogs hesitated a moment before lining up. The masks on their faces slid upwards, revealing laser lenses in the place of their eyes.

_Oh, crap,_ Chris thought, eyes widening in realization. He moved into a guard stance, crossing his arms, and righting the sword in his hand, bringing it above and parallel to his left arm. The cogs let loose their laser bolts, sending a barrage straight towards him. It took a fraction of a second for the bolts to reach Chris, who reacted by catching the energized bundles on the flat of his blade and threw them to each side, causing twin explosions to go off harmlessly behind Chris and the worn out ponies.

_That was close,_ Chris thought, taking in slow controlled breaths to get his heart back under control. I need to get in closer. He dropped into a crouch, the sword held out horizontally in front in front of him, and charged forwards, closing the distance in no time. He slashed through three or four cogs before entering the crowd. He used all of his experience in martial arts to keep the group at bay while he dismantled them a few at a time. He flew around in a blur of motion and color, almost like a red and black hurricane, cutting down the machines relentlessly. He finally came to a stop facing away from Starlight’s group, only one cog remaining. The unlucky robot had somehow managed to get between Chris and the ponies and watched Chris’ back for any signs of movement. As the tension grew, the cog broke first. It turned towards the now defenseless equines, its face sliding up to reveal its blasters.

The blast never came. Suddenly, Chris was facing away from the cog again, standing like a runner at the start, arm and sword held up at an angle over his shoulder. All at once, sparks flew in a perfect diagonal all around the cog’s body as it slid in two. Chris stood up and relaxed his sword arm just in time for the two halves of the automaton to hit the ground. The body sparked and spasmed a few times before it finally lay still. Chris glanced over his shoulder at his handiwork before bringing the blade to rest on his other shoulder, turning his head back, and letting out a long breath.

He finally raised his sweat-drenched head to throw a wide grin in the direction of the trio. “Well, that was somethin’, wasn’t it?”

“Indeed it was,” came the reply from behind him.

The ponies stiffened, terrified looks in their eyes as they saw what Chris couldn’t. His eyes widened in confusion. As he turned to face the newcomer, a small, “hm” escaped his lips, and when he saw what it was, he too stared in horror. He was staring at Staroid from Zeo, but he was different. His body was overall slimmer with only his gauntlets remaining the same size, the star on his back only covering his upper back instead of down to his legs, and he now sported a long sword with a star-shaped guard on his hip.

“Now,” Staroid began, starting to walk forward and moving his hand towards the sword at his hip, “if you and your comrades could surrender, you might make it out of this alive.”

“Heh,” Chris chuckled, moving into a sideways horse stance, bringing the sword horizontal to his chest once more, and finally adding his left hand to the sword. “Sorry, bud, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

“Pity, King Mondo wanted some new subjects for Prince Sprocket’s torture lessons,” Staroid replied, advancing and drawing his sword, which transformed in a flash of light into a large scythe. The weapon’s staff was nothing special except that it ended in a large star, the menacing blade sprouting from one of the five points.

A single drop of sweat rolled down Chris’ face as he thought of a plan of attack. _Holy VERDAMMTES SCHEISSE!!! I can’t take this guy!_

_Not as you are now,_ came the voice from earlier.

_What does THAT mean!?!_ Chris exclaimed inwardly, stepping back to keep distance between himself and the slowly approaching menace.

_Simple,_ was all the voice said before disappearing.

_What’s sim-,_ his thought was interrupted as more instructions appeared in his mind. It took a moment for Chris to process it all, but, when he did, the look of frightened determination melted into a seemingly insane grin. He relaxed his stance and stood up, taking his left hand away from the sword, which he stabbed into the ground so it stood on its own.

Staroid stopped his approach, some of his confidence melting away in the heat of Chris’ own. “W-what game are you playing?” He asked, voice slightly trembling.

“No game,” Chris stated, shaking his smiling face as he raised his wrist to show off the device on his wrist. “But this is going to be _really_ fun.”

The grin disappeared from his face and his features morphed into a look of complete seriousness. He turned to the side, bringing his right arm back to a perfect right angle and placing the index and middle fingers of his left over the middle of the device. “Go,” he said calmly, his body tensing before throwing his fist forward with all his strength, “PSYCHO!”

Chris’ body was enveloped in shining black energy that shattered, leaving behind black armor. Red energy shot from Chris’ wrists, shins, and torso drawing armor to those areas, white on his limbs and red on his torso. He rotated his arms at the elbow inwards, leaving energy behind around his head. As his arms rotated back to rest, the energy solidified into a red helmet, leaving his eyes exposed. Finally, a black visor extended towards the center of the helmet, hiding his eyes. All this happening in under a second.

Staroid brought the hand he had used to shield his eyes down, gawking at the sight of the ranger’s sudden transformation. “Who… _what_ are you?” He exclaimed, taking a step back.

“What am I?” parroted Chris, his voice somewhat digitally distorted. “The dark firestorm,” he intoned, waving his right hand in front of his face before throwing his left hand out and stepping with the motion. “Psycho Ranger Red.” Chris crouched down as Staroid stumbled backward a few steps. “Oh, this is gonna be fun,” he mumbled under his breath before launching himself forwards, pulling his sword from the ground as he ran towards his opponent. He closed the distance in a flash, moving far faster than he did pre-morph. Staroid swung his scythe down towards the coming red blur. Chris dodged to the left, seeming to phase into an electrical state and flowing in that direction. Chris came to a stop on Staroid’s left, swinging the Psycho Sword towards the robot’s side. Staroid caught the motion and swung the staff of his weapon to intercept Chris’ blade. Chris jumped away from Staroid to avoid the upward slash of his opponent’s weapon. He danced back into the fray, this time going for an overhead slash. Staroid parried the strike and launched his own counterattack. Chris deflected the blow and moved to engage at a different angle. Chris and Staroid continued this, dancing around each other, their weapons clashing over and over again.

After a while, the two clashed once again, more viciously than any other encounter before. They each pushed against each other as hard as they could. They finally pushed away from one another, sliding a few yards apart. It’s time to end this, Chris thought, bringing his left hand over the Psycho Sword’s blade and charging it with red energy. Let’s go. He charged forward while Staroid was still regaining his balance, jumping into the air before he had completely closed the distance between them. Staroid saw the oncoming assault and lifted the staff of his scythe to intercept the blow. Unfortunately, this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. The Psycho Sword cut clean through the scythe, sparks exploding from Staroid’s torso as the blade slashed across it.

_Finish him,_ the voice in his head told him.

_With pleasure,_ Chris thought back, preparing a final attack that would cleave the machine in two.

_Then we can go after the others._

An image of the three ponies huddled together behind him leaped into his mind, the voice’s dark intention bleeding the image red.

“What!?!” he said aloud, pausing mid-swing. The outburst didn’t go unnoticed. Staroid suddenly righted himself and swung the blade of his scythe downwards. The weapon slashed across Chris’ exposed chest, sending up a shower of sparks as it met the ranger’s shields. Chris was launched backward by the combined force of the attack and the repulsion of the shields. He landed on his back, rolling to a kneeling position not far from Starlight’s group. Both combatants smoked from the previous attacks, Staroid’s damaged circuits sparking as Chris’ shields threw out vapor as they repaired themselves.

Finally, Staroid stood tall, pointing the star of his scythe at Chris. “This isn’t over yet, _Psycho Red_ ,” Staroid stated, spitting out the name like venom. “Next time we meet, you won’t be so lucky.” With that, he turned away, shifted into a star and sped off through the treetops.

Chris stayed where he was for a moment, breathing heavily and supporting himself with his sword. He finally pushed himself back to his feet and turned to face the mares he had protected. “Power down,” he said, walking forward as bright red grid lines appeared across his figure, the armor seeming to evaporate away from his body. Finally, the belt shifted into energy, traveled up to his shoulder, down his arm, and solidified into his Morpher.

Starlight and Sweetie both tensed up as Chris drew near. He noticed this and stopped a little distance away. “Is everyone alright?” He asked, genuine concern in his voice.

The pair reeled at his sudden kindness. “Um,” started Sweetie, looking to Starlight who simply shrugged. “We’re a little beat up, but we’ll be okay.”

“That’s good,” he said. “That’s really good….” He lurched forward and fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Dark light shone from the green and black flames of the torches that lined the cobblestone walls. Staroid walked further into the chamber, fear building up inside him. He approached the only real light in the large room, a light that illuminated a dark, twisted throne. Behind it lay a giant purple and green dragon, its body scarred by many battles, and above it all, on the menacing throne itself, sat an alicorn with dark purple fur, her mane and tail an even darker shade with lighter shades of purple and pink mixed in and flaring around her like fire. From her back sprouted a pair of dark wings that matched the color of her mane and tail, and she dressed in a sinister but beautiful dress that matched the lighter colors of her mane, black armor covering her chest and forearms.

When Staroid finally stood at the foot of the terrible throne, he kneeled down and bowed his head. “Mistress,” he said, opening the air to conversation.

“Staroid,” the dark alicorn said slowly, letting the tension in the room grow. “Did you succeed in your mission?”

Staroid squirmed. “I’m sorry, mistress, I did not.”

The alicorn’s glowing eyes narrowed. “And why, pray tell, is _that_?”

“We ran into a… complication.”

“What kind of ‘complication’?” she asked, leaning forward and digging her nails into the arms of her throne.

At this, Staroid looked up to his mistress. “A warrior in red armor, wielding a twisted sword. He called himself ‘Psycho Ranger Red’.”

“Psycho Ranger?” the alicorn intoned, sitting back in her throne. “Curious. How strong do you believe him to be?”

“He destroyed my entire battalion,” Staroid began, “but when we clashed, he fought as though he had never done so before. It is my belief that he only managed to defeat me through superior speed.”

“And to think I used my magic to remedy that for you,” the enchantress speculated, bringing up a hand to her chin. “Thank you for bringing this to me, Staroid. You are dismissed.”

Staroid stood and began to walk away. “Oh, and Staroid.” He stopped and turned back to his mistress. “Remember that you answer to me. And the next time you meet this ‘Psycho Ranger’... kill him.”

“Yes, mistress,” he said and bowed, before turning to continue his exit.

When he had finally left the room and the doors closed behind him, the great drake lifted his head to the one he called “mother”. “What will you do about this, Twilight?”

“Simple, my dear Spike,” she purred, bringing a hand up to stroke his great head. “I will report this to King Mondo, then we will plan our next move. And, Spike, you forget.”

“Sorry, mom,” Spike apologized, closing his eyes.

“It’s alright, Spike. Just remember, Twilight died years ago. _I_ am Midnight.”


	2. Redefining Reality

Chris only felt a sense of weightlessness. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed, whether it had only been a few moments or several hours. Then, suddenly, the feeling started to return to his limbs, and the first thing he noticed was that he hurt all over. “Ohhh,” he groaned out, bringing his left hand to rub at his splitting headache. “Did anyone get the number of the bus that hit me?” he whispered.

“Well, Ah don’t know ‘bout a bus, but the name o’ the Machine Captain ya fought was Staroid.”

Chris snapped his eyes wide open. He _knew_ that voice! He slowly looked to his left to find Apple Bloom in a pair of scrubs and a lab coat with a picture of an Erlenmeyer flask and pill bottle on the pocket, a stethoscope wrapped around her neck. She was checking some medical equipment next to his bed and occasionally marking on a clipboard in her hand. He was lying in a hospital bed, his previous clothes replaced by a johnny gown. Chris continued to stare wide-eyed at Apple Bloom. “You’re real,” he said dumbly.

“Last Ah checked, yeah, Ah am,” Bloom replied a bit sarcastically, never taking her eyes off the equipment or clipboard.

Chris continued to stare for a moment before letting out a sigh and putting his hand over his eyes and rubbing his face. “Ohhh, this isn’t a dream.”

Bloom snorted and rolled her eyes. “More like a nightmare.” She finally turned to look at Chris, her eyes hard. “Look, I appreciate what you did for my friends. But if you hurt anyone here….” The pen in her hand suddenly snapped in half with a loud crack.

Chris stared at Apple Bloom, a bit shocked by her fury. Before his mind could completely catch up, he heard footsteps -hoofsteps?- coming from behind the curtain around his bed. “That’s enough, Apple Bloom.” The curtains opened up and Sunset Shimmer walked through, using her magic to pull the curtain all the way around to reveal the rest of the medical hall. At this point, it didn’t surprise Chris that he was looking at the yellow and red pony in her signature outfit. However, the pair of wings sprouting from her back were definitely an eye-opener. So much so that it took Sunset snapping her fingers in Chris’ face to break him out of his mind-blown state.

He shook his head to clear the confusion. “I’m sorry, but… you have wings.” He stated, pointing to the feathered appendages.

Sunset slightly tilted her head in confusion, her wings slightly stretching in response. “I… yes?”

Sunset and Chris stared at each for a long while before someone cleared their throat. Chris blinked and finally looked around. Alongside Sunset were Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sweetie Belle, and Big Macintosh. Dash sported a pair of blue athletic shorts, blue and white running shoes, a black tank top, and an aviator jacket adorned with two patches, one of her cutie mark and the other of the Wonderbolts logo. Fluttershy wore a pair of pink flats, a long white skirt, and a long-sleeved pink shirt that hung off one shoulder. Pinkie was dressed in denim converse, a dark pink skirt with light pink and white striped leggings, and a light blue shirt with puffed shoulders and her cutie mark on the front. Sweetie was in dressed in a baby blue skirted leotard, a pale yellow half jacket, and a pair of wedges that matched her leotard. Finally, Big Mac was dressed in blue jeans, a green flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of work boots.

“Uh, I know how weird this is for everyone,” Dash said, trying to get everything back on track, “but isn’t there something we need to do?”

“Sorry, Dash, you’re right,” Sunset apologized. She turned back to Apple Bloom, the look on her face all business now. “How does he check out?”

“He was really dehydrated when the girls brought’im in,” Apple Bloom replied, looking at her clipboard and turning through a few pages, “but every examination points to him passing out from sheer exhaustion like his body didn’t even realize he needed water.”

“That kinda makes sense,” Chris said, sitting up as all eyes turned to him, Dash and Mac going so far as to tense up. “I mean,” he continued, keeping a wary eye on the pair, “I woke up in the middle of the forest with no idea of where I was, how I got there, or how long I had been there.”

“Really?” Dash asked skeptically, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. “And we’re supposed to believe that?”

“Please, Rainbow,” Sunset soothed, trying to keep the multi-colored pegasus calm before turning towards Chris. “Although, I have to agree, your story is a bit hard to swallow, mister….”

“Chris,” he replied after realizing what she was asking. “Chris Scott. And what I told you was the truth. One minute I’m having a great time at Power Morphicon, and the next thing I know, I’m waking up in the middle of the woods. I would have been completely lost had I not heard one of the girls scream.”

“Bull,” Rainbow Dash grumbled.

Sunset rolled her eyes at her friend's brashness. “That doesn’t explain how you could take on an entire battalion of cogs and then run off their captain without so much as a scratch.”

Chris grinned at the memory of the event. “That would be all thanks to this bad boy,” he said, holding up his wrist and smiling.

Everypony present just stared at the appendage. Suddenly Pinkie perked up. “Oh! So you showed them a really cool watch trick and it blew their minds!” Pinkie said excitedly.

“What? No,” Chris replied in confusion. “I used my morph-” He looked down at his wrist only to find a black and red cuff watch, the watch face replaced with something that looked like the communicator from the Mighty Morphin’ series. “What happened to my morpher!?!”

Here Sweetie Belle stepped up. “Actually, that’s it,” Sweetie said. When Chris only stared she continued. “After you fainted, it kinda turned into that.”

Chris looked back to the watch on his rest, staring for a moment. I wonder, he thought. He moved his left hand to his wrist, using his thumb to press the crown on the side. Red electricity appeared around the accessory before turning into a grid, the morpher materializing. Chris looked at it with a grin of satisfaction. “Nice.”

He looked back up at the ponies with a smile on his face only for it to drop from his face as he threw his hands over his head. Sunset’s hands glowed in a teal aura, and Dash had drawn a dagger, everyone else backed behind Big Mac who had dropped into a defensive stance. The only one that didn’t seem ready to tear him apart was Pinkie, who was jumping up and down while clapping her hands, an enormous grin plastered to her face. “Ooo, that was a fun trick,” She said, her excitement growing. “Do it again, do it again!”

“Uh, I think I’d rather not be blasted and stabbed,” Chris replied, eyeing the very sharp weapon in Dash’s hand.

“Explain,” Sunset growled, raising her fists slightly. “Quickly.”

“It’s a morpher. It gives me access to a set of super-powered armor,” Chris explained quickly, sweat beginning to form on his brow. “That’s how I was able to fend off the cogs and Staroid.”

“Bloom,” Sunset barked, “what’s his heart rate say?”

Apple Bloom poked her head out from around the equipment she had hidden behind and took a look at it. “It’s stable. He doesn’t appear to be lying.”

“Those machines don’t always tell all,” Rainbow growled out, stepping closer to Chris. “Give us one good reason not to throw you in a cell.”

“I’m highly allergic to death.”

The random statement made everyone pause for a moment.

“W-what?” was all Rainbow could think to say, standing up and slightly relaxing alongside everyone else.

Chris let out a nervous breath and let his hands fall. “Look,” he began, holding up a hand. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but something tells me it’s not good. What, did King Mondo come to Equestria and suddenly decided he wanted to set up a timeshare or something?”

“For someone who doesn’t know where he is, you certainly know a lot,” Sunset said skeptically.

Chris let out a sigh. “Where I’m from both the Machine Empire and Equestria are fictional places,” he explained. “But the thing is, in my world, they occur completely separately.”

“What do you mean?” Sweetie asked coming out from behind Big Mac.

“They’re part of different TV shows,” Chris replied. “My Little Pony Friendship is Magic for Equestria, and Power Rangers Zeo for King Mondo and the Machine Empire.”

“Are you sayin’ what Ah think yer sayin’?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yes, I knew who all of you were before you even walked into the room,” Chris said and began to give descriptions of each of them. “Sunset, you were one of Celestia’s students. Dash, you aspired to be a Wonderbolt. Fluttershy lives in a cottage and takes care of animals. Big Mac and Apple Bloom are siblings. Sweetie Belle has an amazing singing voice. And Pinkie,” The mare’s face lit up like a beacon. “There is literally no other way to describe you other than ‘you’re Pinkie’.”

Everypony's, minus eyes were wide, staring at him in disbelief.

“Alright,” Rainbow said, breaking out of her stupor first and putting away her dagger. “This is kind of weird.”

“You’re telling me,” Chris replied, seemingly ignoring the shock on everypony's face. “Two children’s TV shows mashed together and made about a hundred times more violent. Almost feels like I’ve been thrown into some kind of bad fanfiction.” At this, the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

“O~kay,” Sunset said, rubbing her arm at the sudden chill. “But that doesn’t really tell us anything about you.”

“Well,” Chris started while shrugging his shoulders, “what do you want to know?”

“There are some questions we’d like to ask, but this isn’t exactly the best place to ask them,” Sunset explained.

“Alrighty then, take me to the interrogation room and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

Sunset threw a glance towards Big Mac, who nodded. Sunset turned back to Chris. “I don’t know about an interrogation room, but you will need to meet the mare in charge.”

“Let’s do it, then.” Chris swung his legs over the side of the bed only to pause. “Uh, guys, a few quick questions… where are my clothes?”

Both Apple Bloom’s and Sweetie Belle’s faces lit up in a blush.

* * *

Chris walked down a brightly lit hallway with the six ponies gathered around him. They had left Bloom in the medical hall as they had ventured further into the structure. The halls seemed new, like a fresh coat of paint had been applied to the walls, leading him to believe that the building he was in was recently renovated. _That rules out Canterlot,_ he thought to himself.

“So,” Chris began, the silence starting to get to him. “What can you guys tell me about what’s happened?”

Nopony jumped to explain anything to him. In fact, Fluttershy, who was walking behind him and to the left, let out a quiet, “eep,” and Rainbow let out a huff to his right. Pinkie looked like she was about to speak up, but a quick look from Rainbow Dash made her close her lips and put her head down, bringing silence back to his left side.

Suddenly, Sweetie Belle stepped up from his rear right, falling into step beside him. “It all started about ten years ago.”

“Sweetie,” Rainbow grumbled in a warning.

“Nightmare Moon showed up during the Summer Sun Celebration, and Sunset led us into the Everfree to find the Elements of Harmony.”

“Time out,” Chris interrupted while making a ‘T’ with his hands. “You guys,” he pointed to Sweetie, Big Mac, and Sunset, “are Elements of Harmony?”

“Surprised?” Rainbow asked sarcastically. “I thought you knew everything there was to know about us.”

“I know everything according to the _show_ ,” Chris elaborated, throwing a look towards the obnoxious mare. “According to the show, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Applejack became Elements of Harmony instead of Sunset, Sweetie, and Big Mac.”

Dash let out a snort. “Yeah sure. I bet you don’t even know the different elements.”

“Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and Magic,” Chris deadpanned.

As Rainbow promptly closed her mouth and turned around with a huff, chuckles could be heard emanating from some of the other bearers.

“Anyway,” Sweetie said, stifling her giggles and getting the conversation back on track. “While we were busy fighting Nightmare Moon, King Mondo attacked Canterlot…. The locals didn’t stand a chance.” The mood of the group got very sullen as Sweetie recalled this part of the story. “The guards fought off the machines the best they could so the citizens could evacuate, but it was a hopeless battle. King Mondo’s forces were simply too advanced for them to handle.”

“Canterlot was overrun by the time we got back to Ponyville,” Sunset stepped in. “We didn’t stand much better of a chance.”

“All we could do was move everypony to the castle in the Everfree,” Big Mac spoke up, his deep voice startling Chris somewhat.

“And we’ve been here ever since,” Pinkie finished up, her normally upbeat voice saddened by the memories.

“Wow,” was all Chris could think to say for a moment. “What happened to everypony in Canterlot?”

“Most were killed,” Sunset replied darkly, “but some were taken by Mondo for different reasons. The worst part is, we really don’t know.”

“Um, the only ponies that might know about that are Shining Armor and Cadance,” Fluttershy finally spoke up.

However, Chris didn’t really hear what she had said. His face was downcast and it seemed like the area around him got darker. Eventually, he stopped. Everypony noticed this and came to a stop. Most of them didn’t react to heavily, but Chris’ aura made Fluttershy ‘eep’ and dart behind Big Mac.

“He killed them.”

The statement was simple, but it seemed to hammer at the others, and it only got worse. Chris began to shake in his rage, and his morpher, back in its communicator form, started sparking off red energy.

“They were innocent, and he murdered them.” Chris lifted his eyes to meet Sunset’s, his gaze causing her to flinch slightly. “How do I find him?”

Sunset looked at Big Mac, who looked back wide-eyed. She turned back to Chris. “This way.”

Chris started marching forward, leaving the others behind to hurry after him. He went through the hallway, only glancing back at the others when he came to a turn, Sunset providing directions by nodding her head in one direction or the other. The further we went the faster he got, making the others speed up along with him. Slowly, the halls started getting more crowded, the ponies jumping out of the way and throwing strange looks at the sprinting young man. Of course, he didn’t notice or care. He only had one thing on his mind; making Mondo pay. If he was still just Chris, he wouldn’t be able to do anything, but now, he had power. He could make a difference, no matter how small.

 _This is good,_ purred the dark voice in his head.

 _Shut up,_ Chris responded, taking a sharp left at Sunset’s direction.

 _You’re starting to think like I do_ , the voice continued, feeding on Chris’ rage and anger. _Soon we will be one and the same._

 _I’m nothing like you,_ Chris retorted almost missing the next turn. _I want to help people, er, ponies, and you just want to destroy._

_Once you start killing, you won’t be able to stop._

_They’re not alive, they’re machines._

_LIVING machines, and once they’re all gone, what happens then? By then you’ll be a fighter. A killer. A killer with no one to kill. What will you do then?_

Chris’ face grew dark as he ran. He was so absorbed in his own head that he almost missed Sunset’s instructions.

“Next right, Chris, then through the double doors!” She called out to him, out of breath.

Chris rounded the corner and saw the doors coming up and sped up. He slammed through the doors and came to a complete stop. He was standing in a room that had ponies sitting at different kinds of equipment. Everypony turned at the loud disturbance and stared wide-eyed at what had caused it.

“Hello, everypony,” Chris started, slightly out of breath as the mane six finally caught up to him, most of them panting heavily. “I’d like to see your boss. I’ve got an application to turn in.”

“I heard you were something,” said a silky female voice from behind him. “Although I have to admit that I didn’t expect you to outrun our very own Elements of Harmony.”

Chris turned around and immediately jumped back, dropping into a stance to draw out the Psycho Sword. In front of him stood Nightmare Moon wearing a dark blue crop top with a black leather jacket, a denim miniskirt, and black lace-up boots with heels, her arms crossed and a frown on her face, however, there was something about her eyes that betrayed her apparent aggravation.

“Nightmare Moon,” Chris said calmly, not dropping out of his stance.

“Human,” she replied, dropping her arms to her sides. There was a long stretch of silence, the tension growing between the two as they stared one another down. The mane six began to back away, and some ponies even moved to put the equipment they were working with between them and the tensed figures.

“You seem quite confident,” Nightmare said stepping forward, causing Chris to tense up even more. “We could use someone like you.” She stretched out her hand towards Chris, surprising him. “I’d like to personally welcome you to the Equestrian Resistance Force.”

Chris looked at her suspiciously, relaxing his stance nonetheless. “That’s it?” he questioned, taking Nightmare’s hand in his own and shaking it. “No initiation, no background check, no test?”

“Well, we certainly can’t have that,” she replied, chuckling. “You will be given a physical test, and then you will be interviewed. I wouldn’t worry too much, after all,” a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. “I will be the examiner in charge of your physical trial.”

Chris froze up. “I’m not sure how to feel about that.”

Nightmare Moon chuckled. “Meet me at the training grounds in thirty minutes. Until then,” Nightmare looked the mane six. “Sweetie, be a dear and show him the way.”

Sweetie snapped to attention. “Yes, ma’am,” she replied before relaxing and giving Chris a smile. “Come on, I’ll show you the way.”

“Thanks, Sweetie Belle,” Chris said following Sweetie out of the doors. Nightmare looked to the rest of the Elements. “You five are dismissed as well.” They all nodded and left the room, each one with something different in mind. “The rest of you,” she continued, “back to your stations. Battle Cry,” a navy blue unicorn in khakis and a military jacket turned his head at the sound of his name being called, “I’d like you to send a message out around the castle; Nightmare Moon is to test a new recruit in thirty minutes.”

Battle Cry nodded his head in compliance and turned back to his keyboard and began typing in the commands that would send the message throughout the castle.

While he was busy with that, Nightmare looked to a large screen at the front of the room that showed a map of the Everfree. Groups of red blips moved back and forth along the edge of the forest. “Do you have anything to report,” she called to seemingly nopony. “Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis appeared behind Nightmare’s right shoulder. She wore a sleeveless ankle length green dress with the belly and back cut out and a slit running up the left leg, black stilettos and darker green sleeves that ran from above her thumb up to above her elbow. “The human, Chris, seems to be willing,” she explained. “His reaction to finding out what King Mondo did to Canterlot was… surprising to say the least. He ran about three-fourths of the way here.”

“That also says something about his overall fitness,” Nightmare added, stroking her chin.

“Yes, he should make a fine member of the Resistance,” Chrysalis continued. “However, I do have some concerns.”

“Hm?” Nightmare hummed, raising an eyebrow. “I sensed something strange within him,” Chrysalis explained, beginning to pace. “Almost like his emotions were fighting one another.”

“That is concerning,” Nightmare said, finally turning to face Chrysalis and leaning against a console. “I’d like you to keep an eye on him for me.”

“Of course,” Chrysalis said, disappearing again.

Nightmare Moon let out a sigh. “Could this get any more complicated...?” Somewhere in the multiverse, Murphy laughed wickedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be weekly until I've got up to the original. All comments are very welcome.


	3. Chapter 3- New Fiends and Old Enemies

Chapter 3- >

New Friends and Old Enemies>

Chris sat on a bench in the castle’s locker room. He was hunched over, struggling to get on a shin guard. Sweetie had been helping him with the other one. In fact, she had helped him with a lot. She’d not only shown him the way to the locker room for the training ground, but she had also shown him to an empty locker he could use to store his jacket in, then found him a set of training armor he could use. It was while he was strapping the leather armor on that they had found out that his morpher phased through and settled on top of any armor or tight-fitting clothing he wore. She’d helped him through getting on all the armor pieces except the final shin guard when she suddenly shot up straight and took off saying she’d forgotten something. That had been a few minutes ago and Chris was starting to wonder if she was ever going to come back.

“Stupid strap,” he muttered as said strap slipped out of his hand again. He let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. “I never had to deal with this with my velcro gear.”

“Do you need some help?” A soft voice asked to his left with the hint of a chuckle.

Chris shot his head up to look at who was talking, only to startle an ‘eep’ out of Fluttershy as she darted behind Big Mac, who stood back with his hands in his pockets. 

“Oh, sorry, Fluttershy,” Chris apologized, standing up and giving an apologetic smile. “You just surprised me is all.” He wasn’t lying. While he could accept that Fluttershy had gone without him noticing her presence, it disturbed him that Mac had been able to do the same, no matter how quiet and stoic the big guy was.

“That’s alright,” She replied, poking her head out from behind Big Mac. “But the question still stands, if you’re okay with that.”

“Actually,” Chris said slowly, eyeing the armor still in his hand, “yeah, I could….”

“Here,” Big Mac said, his voice reverberating around the room, “let me.”

“Er, okay?” Chris replied, slightly confused. Big Mac moved to the other side of the bench and signaled for Chris to rest his foot there. He did so and when Mac held out his hand, Chris handed over the shin guard. He made short work of it, wrapping the armor’s straps expertly around Chris’ leg until it held snuggly. “Wow,” Chris said in awe, amazed at how fast the big pony had worked. “Thanks, Big Mac.”

“Don’t mention it,” Big Mac replied kindly.

“So,” Chris began awkwardly as Big Mac moved to stand next to Fluttershy once again. “You guys here to watch Nightmare Moon beat the snot out of me.”

“Actually,” Fluttershy replied meekly, “there’s something else I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Uh, sure,” Chris said, resting his hands on his hips. “Whaddya got for me?”

“You mentioned a name earlier,” Fluttershy started weakly. “Twilight Sparkle?”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, Twilight. What about her?”

“W-who is she?”

The question shocked Chris. “What do you mean, ‘who is she’?”

Fluttershy flinched slightly. Macintosh noticed and took the lead. “We’ve never met anyone named ‘Twilight Sparkle’.”

“Seriously?” Chris questioned, completely flabbergasted. “Man, this universe is more different than I thought.” Chris straightened up and crossed his arms bringing a hand up to his chin. “Well, firstly, where I’m from, Twilight is the Element of Magic and the Princess of Friendship.” Chris let out a sigh and shook his head. “I can’t really explain anything else without going into specifics, and I’m pretty sure Nightmare Moon wants to kick my butt in five minutes. Why do you ask?”

Fluttershy shared a look with Big Mac before answering. “I heard one of our friends mention her name once before,” she explained, looking back at Chris, “but he spoke in whispers like he didn’t want anyone to overhear him.”

“Who’s ‘he’?” Chris asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Shining Armor.”

The response threw Chris for a loop, but before he could ask any questions, a voice rang out from a speaker in the corner. “Would Chris Scott please report to the training area. Chris Scott to the training area.”

Chris let out a puff of air. “Well, times up,” he said, grabbing a leather helmet off the bench and putting it on his head. “Thank you, guys, for everything, and if you see Sweetie Belle give her my thanks.” He started towards the doors that led to the training field. “Oh, and if I see Shining, I’ll talk to him. See ya, guys.”

“Good luck,” Fluttershy said quietly as he left, “you’ll need it.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac added in agreement.

Chris walked out into the dirt arena, blinking the light out of his eyes. When his eyes had adjusted, the first thing he noticed was all the ponies in the stands off to the sides of the arena. The moment they saw him, they started cheering. The noise was deafening, and Chris had to cover his ears as he walked forward towards the center of the field. Nightmare stood there, garbed in armor that resembled the set from the show, only covering a lot more of her body.

As Chris finally made his way to the center, he raised his voice above the crowd. “Is it safe for them to be so close?”

“Yes, they’re perfectly safe,” She replied with a nod. “There’s a magical sphere around the arena that prevents anything inside to get to those outside. It also makes sure we can’t hurt one another to terribly,” she explained.

“Great,” Chris said, “looks like I put all this on for nothing.”

“No,” Nightmare countered. “You will most certainly need it.”

Suddenly, all the noise from the crowd became muffled, and when Chris turned his head to the right, he saw Lyra in a ref’s uniform and walking towards them. She kept eyeing Chris in a way that served only to unnerve him. Chris turned to face Nightmare again before tilting his head and thumb towards the approaching unicorn and raising an eyebrow.

“She wouldn’t stop asking until I agreed,” Nightmare explained, answering Chris’ silent question.

“Aw,” Chris said in understanding.

“Alright, you two,” Lyra said, reaching the center and eyeing both combatants. “I want a nice, clean fight. The match ends when one of you concedes to the other, or one or both of you are unable to continue.” She paused to look at Nightmare. “Fighter one, are you ready?” Nightmare nodded, moving into a sideways stance. Lyra nodded back before turning her eyes to Chris. “Fighter two, are you ready?” Chris nodded as well, gulping and dropping into a back stance. Lyra nodded back and began looking back and forth between each opponent. “Both Fighters ready. Fight!” Lyra teleported away and reappeared outside of the protective shield.

As soon as the sound left Lyra’s lips, both fighters leaped and slid backward, creating enough empty space between them. As she came to a stop, Nightmare waved her hand in front of herself, generating an ornately decorated scythe.>

_What is with these people and scythes?_ Chris questioned, sizing up his adversary. _There’s no way I can take her one-on-one, and definitely not in hand-to-hand._ As he thought this, Nightmare started to charge towards him, closing the distance quickly. _Sheisse,_ Chris thought, beginning to sprint to his left to keep some distance between himself and the mare. _What do I do now?_

_Summon your weapon,_ the voice in his head said.

_Shut up, you,_ Chris retorted. _I’m busy._

_Just do it,_ the voice replied irritably.

Chris stopped and turned towards his opponent, swinging his arms into position to summon the Psycho Sword. Chris kept his eyes locked on Nightmare as energy built up over his left wrist. He grabbed the handle and swung it out in front of him. “Psycho Swor-,” Chris stopped in mid-sentence and took a second look to see that the Psycho Sling was sitting in his hand instead of the Sword. “What the-?”

_Forget about it and shoot!_ The voice commanded urgently.

Chris snapped his focus back to Nightmare Moon to see the gap between them almost gone. He whipped the Sling back into position, pulling the false string and firing off several bolts of yellow energy. Nightmare’s eyes widened in surprise, swinging her scythe to block the first few before dodging out of the way. Chris started running counter to Nightmare, continuing to fire off energy blasts at his foe. Nightmare began fading in and out of sight as she dodged the lasers, slowly but surely closing the distance.

_This isn’t working,_ Chris thought, firing off a few more shots. _New strategy._ Chris came to a stop, dismissing the Sling, and faced Nightmare as she closed the distance. She swung her scythe level with Chris’ neck. He leaned backward in response, letting the blade sweep by overhead. He jumped back onto his hands and bent his arms, lifting his legs and throwing his feet into Nightmare’s chest while she was vulnerable. Nightmare went sliding backward, giving Chris time to catch his breath. She righted herself just in time to see Chris take up a new stance.

“No more games,” Chris muttered bringing his arms back and resting his left index and middle fingers on his morpher. “Go, Psycho!” He shouted, throwing his right arm forward. He was enveloped in dark red light and energy before it dispersed revealing Chris in his Psycho Red form, Psycho Sword already in hand.

Nightmare Moon paused to take in the sight. “Impressive,” she said, dropping into a runner’s stance and darting forward, “but not impressive enough!”

“We’ll see about that!” Chris cried, dashing forward to meet Nightmare head on. Their weapons clashed with a bang, sending up sparks as metal met metal. Both fighters knew this was where the real battle began. They danced around one another, their blades meeting over and over again in a deadly whirlwind of movement. 

Chris dropped to the left, angling his sword up and thrusting upwards at Nightmare’s abdomen. Nightmare knocked the blow away with the staff of her weapon and swung the blade down in a counter strike. Chris rolled out of the way, spinning as he got back to his feet, swinging his sword in a left-to-right slash. Nightmare caught the blow with the blade of her scythe before twisting the handle so the cutting edge faced him and dashed forward. Chris gasped in shock, falling and rolling backward to avoid the devastating blow. He twisted back to his feet to face his opponent, only to find her swinging her scythe down in an overhead arc. Chris lifted his sword to intercept the blade, just barely making the block and falling to one knee from the force of the blow.

_Verdammt,_ he thought. _I can’t take much more of this._

_One last trick,_ the voice responded.

Chris nodded as the information was fed into him. Suddenly, he pushed as hard as could on his blade, letting out a shout as he did. The Psycho Sword lit up in flames, throwing Nightmare’s scythe away. Her eyes widened once again in surprise, but it didn’t last long. She sprung backward as Chris took another swing with his now burning blade, before launching herself into the air.

“Hey, no fair!” Chris shouted indignantly.

“All’s fair in love and war,” Nightmare replied simply, raising her scythe over her head. Magic began to build up around it as she held it there, the blade starting to glow a dark blue. Chris took notice of this and dropped into a light horse stance, lowering his sword to point down and behind him as he began to charge his own weapon. After a few moments, Nightmare swept her scythe down and to the side in one fluid motion, the blade shining bluish-black. “Let’s end this,” she called, plunging into a dive.

“Yes,” Chris replied, fire igniting around his feet as he began to run towards her. “Let’s.” As they drew nearer each other, Chris jumped into the air, propelling himself forward through the flames on his feet. Nightmare was surprised once again, but it was too late. Both combatants swung their weapons before coming to a stop on either side of the field facing away from each other. Everything was still for a moment as everypony waited for something to happen. Suddenly, Chris’ chest exploded in sparks. He arched his back and feel forwards, dropping his sword. When he hit the ground, his armor and weapon dispersed themselves, leaving him in his original form.

Several ponies ran to check on him, including Sweetie Belle. When they reached him, he was only lying there, eyes staring off into the distance. Nopony dared move him for fear of what they would find despite the protective spell over the grounds. Finally, Nightmare pushed her way through the crowd to kneel down beside him. “Chris?” She asked softly, “Chris, are you alright?”

Chris remained silent for a few more moments before blinking. “Ow.”

Nightmare chuckled as everypony else let out a sigh of relief. “Come on, let’s get you up.” She grabbed him under one arm, helping him to lift himself up. Sweetie rushed forward to help support him, throwing his right arm over her shoulder. “Thanks,” he muttered to both of them.

“Now that your physical test is over,” Nightmare began after making sure Chris wouldn’t fall out. “Chris Scott, I, Nightmare Moon, welcome you to the Equestrian Resistance Force.” She let a smile light up her features. “Welcome to the family.”

Everypony in the stands and around them broke into cheers. Chris winced at the volume before he allowed their joy to infect him and grinned ear-to-ear. He looked at Sweetie, who gave him a smile of her own.

Nightmare let the crowd scream, holler, and whoop a little longer before raising her hand. The ponies immediately dropped into silence. She lowered her hand and nodded in thanks before turning back Chris. “Chris, from this day forward, you will be a part of the special operations team. This team is only made up of the best and most talented. Don’t disappoint me.”

Chris and Sweetie glanced at each other and nodded. Sweetie let go of Chris’ arm as he raised himself up to hold his own body weight. “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, determination ringing through his voice.

Nightmare nodded to him before turning to Sweetie Belle. “And, Miss Belle.”

Sweetie whipped her eyes from Chris to Nightmare, snapping to attention. “Yes, ma’am?”

“You will be his partner.”

Both Chris and Sweetie started at the news. “B-b-but, what about Pinkie?” Sweetie stuttered.

Nightmare chuckled. “I have been watching you and Miss Pie during training, and you two seem to lack a certain chemistry that all fighting pairs should have. Pinkie can do fine on her own, but it was you I was worried about. It is my hope that the two of you will find that chemistry.”

The pair looked at each other. After a while, Chris flashed a nervous grin at Sweetie. Sweetie was surprised for a moment before she too formed her lips into a small smile. They both turned back to their leader and nodded.

“Good,” said Nightmare, a strange glint in her eye. “Now, Chris you are probably tired. Sweetie will show you to your quarters.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison before turning and walking away like old friends.

“Oh, yeah,” Sweetie Belle piped up. She dug around in a small purse that hung down at her hip before pulling out a wrapped bar and holding it out to Chris. “Here, I thought you might be hungry. Sorry I couldn’t get it to you before the fight.”

“Oh, thanks, Sweetie,” he said, accepting the bar. “I appreciate that.” He unwrapped the bar and took a bite. As he chewed, a huge growl could be heard. They both stopped and looked at each other. Chris broke into an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Sweetie,” he apologized, moving a hand to his stomach, “but I think I’m going to need something more than a protein bar.”

Sweetie responded with a giggle. “I’m sure you do,” she replied, walking forward again. “I would too if I hadn’t eaten in a few days.”

Chris stopped in shock, staring after the small off white mare. He finally shook his head. “Wait, Sweetie Belle, hold up!” he called, running after his partner. “What’s this about a few days?”

Nightmare Moon watched the two’s antics as ponies made their way back to whatever it was they were doing beforehand and smiled. “You certainly won’t,” she whispered, thinking about his promise to not disappoint while moving a hand to the burn mark in her armor.

* * *

Midnight walked down the redecorated halls of Canterlot Castle. She could remember when the corridors were painted bright white and lavished with light pinks and purples, servants and guards crawling through them, always so upbeat and happy. The thought sickened her. She’d always had a certain disdain for the smiling maids, the noble guards. She even held some resentment towards her older brother. Now, the passages were dull and dark, covered in gears and other mechanical contraptions, the grimy air of the Machine Empire staining the once pristine environment.

Midnight focused her eyes forward as she approached a large set of double doors that led to the throne room. On either side of the door stood a cog, weapon in hand.

She came to a stop in front of them, leaning and placing a hand on her hip as the machines crossed their weapons in front of the door.

“Mondo is expecting me,” she told them, impatience clear in her voice.

The minions looked at one another, one giving a shrug before turning back and refusing to budge.

“Grr,” Midnight growled, raising her right hand across her chest to her left shoulder. “I do NOT have time for this. MOVE!” She threw her hand out to the side, sweeping the automatons away in a flash of teal magic. As they crashed against the wall, she walked forwards to the doors, pushing them open effortlessly and entering the chamber. King Mondo wasn't on his throne as Midnight had expected. Instead, he was out on the balcony, looking in the direction of Ponyville.

“You should really be more careful with our forces, Midnight,” he said without turning as Midnight approached. “What news do you bring?”

“For a weekly report, it is rather concerning,” she replied coming to a stop, once again leaning to one side and crossing her arms across her chest.

“How so?” Mondo asked, finally turning to face her.

“One of my Machine Captains came back from the Everfree minus a battalion of cogs.”

“How did he manage that?” the king asked, irritation growing in his voice.

“He says that while he had a group of Resistance fighters cornered, an armored warrior appeared out of nowhere and destroyed the cogs. He even put a nice dent in Staroid,” she explained in a bored manner.

“An armored warrior?” King Mondo parroted, beginning to pace. “Did the warrior present a name or title of any sort?”

“He called himself something rather strange,” Midnight replied. “‘Psycho Ranger Red’, I believe.”

Mondo stopped short in his pacing and turned slowly towards Midnight. “Did you just say that Staroid was defeated by a ranger?”

“That is what Staroid said,” she responded, not paying attention to the monarch’s growing shadow. Midnight was suddenly yanked off her feet and into the air, held there by the power King Mondo was focusing through his staff. She struggled in the powerful grip before her limbs were pulled tight, restricting her movement.

“Do not toy with me, pony,” Mondo hissed, bringing Midnight’s face close to his own. “Know, tell me again, what happened to Staroid’s battalion?”

“I told you the truth!” Midnight gasped out. “He was attacked by a fighter in red armor who declared himself as Psycho Ranger Red.”

Mondo released his power allowing Midnight to hit the ground with a painful thud. His mind was filled with memories of another red garbed warrior, one with a star shape on his helmet. “Blast,” he muttered, turning away from the struggling Midnight. “Even here Zordan and his Power Punks follow behind me.” He looked out over his balcony, staring at the Everfree that concealed a foe he’d hoped to never meet again. He spun to face Midnight once again just as she managed to get back to her feet.

“Midnight,” he addressed her, urgency lacing his voice. “Send that dragon of your’s to get Sombra. Tell him I wanted him here yesterday. Go!”

Midnight stood up straight, nodded and left the room quickly. Once he was alone again, King Mondo walked out to the edge of the throne room’s balcony, gripping the railing with an iron fist and cracking it. He glared out towards the Everfree Forest. “I will NOT be beaten a second time!”

* * *

“And, voila!” Sweetie Belle said as she flicked the lights to the room on.

Chris had to blink his eyes a few times in order to adjust. When he finally looked around at the room, he was impressed. The room was well furnished, consisting of a closet that took up the left wall, a desk and chair pushed into the corner to the right of the door, and a nice full-sized bed was centered against the back wall. A doorway in the right wall led into a nicely made up bathroom. Chris let out a whistle at the sight. “Snazzy,” he said, walking in giving the room another look.

“Is it okay?” Sweetie asked, giving him a worried look.

“It’s more than okay,” Chris answered, giving her a reassuring smile. “It’s better than just about anything I’ve ever had.”

“Really?” She asked, tilting her head.

“Yeah,” Chris replied, shrugging his shoulders. “My childhood wasn’t exactly the best.”

“I’m sorry,” Sweetie apologized, holding her hands behind her back. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not much to talk about,” Chris said, putting his hands in his pockets. “I was a foster kid, and I got moved around a lot.”

“Oh,” Sweetie muttered. “I’m sorry.”>

“Don’t worry about it,” he responded, waving his hand reassuringly. “It wasn’t all bad. That part of my life was over anyway.” He looked around and grabbed the chair to sit down. “You might want to sit down.” Sweetie moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “I lived with three different foster parents over the years. By the time I graduated, I was tired of being moved around. Luckily, I got offered a scholarship to go to college. I was actually in my third year when I got sent here.”

“Sounds like things were starting to look up for you,” Sweetie said, turning her foot on her toes.

“They were,” Chris agreed with a smile, before he leaned forward, lacing his fingers together and frowning. “But let’s be honest. Who’s going to hire a foster kid with Multiple Personality Disorder straight out of college?” He gave a sarcastic chuckle. “I’d be lucky to get a job at a drive-through.” He looked up at Sweetie Belle, a distant look in his eye. “Maybe my being sent here was for the best.”

He finally came back into focus and stretched. “Sorry about that,” he apologized. “It’s getting late and you probably have things to do tomorrow.”

“I don’t mind,” Sweetie assured, standing up with him. “But you’re probably tired, so I should let you get some rest.”

“Yeah,” he said, giving her a smile and walking her to the door. “Goodnight, Sweetie.”

“Goodnight,” she answered, leaving the room.

Chris closed the door softly behind her and let out a sigh. It had been a long day and all he wanted was to go to sleep. He hung his jacket in the closet where he found some pajamas that had been provided for him. He went to the bathroom and got changed, using the given supplies to brush his teeth and face. When he finished, he looked himself over in the mirror. His once buzzcut had grown out to midlength, sweeping to the left and covering some of his face. He looked into the grey eyes of his reflection, looking to see if anything had changed in them. _Of course they have,_ he thought to himself, _look at where you are._

_Alone on an alien world, stuck in the middle of a war._

Chris looked around the bathroom before peeking his head out the door to make sure no one was there. When he was sure, he faced the mirror again and stared at himself hard. _Who are you?_ He asked in his thoughts. / _You’re not Samson, and he’s the only up there._

_Quite perceptive of you,_ the voice purred, _but not overly intelligent despite everyone calling you a genius._

_Who. Are. You?_ He thought, gritting his teeth at the word “genius.”

_Nobody special,_ the voice replied, _just the one whose powers you’ve been using._

Chris froze for a moment. _Psycho Red._

_ERT, wrong!_ The voice cried mimicking a buzzer. _Good guess, though. No, I am not simple “Psycho Red.” I’m more of an amalgamation of all the Psychos combined_.

_So, what?_ Chris questioned, his eye twitching. _You’re like THE Psycho?_

_Ooo, I like that name,_ Psycho answered. _I think I’ll keep it._

_Yeah, yeah, just get out of my head._

_Can’t do that, friend. I’m directly linked to the Psycho Morpher. There’s getting rid of me unless the power runs out or you chop off your own arm!_

Chris looked down at the watch on his wrist. He examined it closely before looking back up. _Fine, whatever, but I won’t be giving you what you want._

_That’s fine. I much prefer a game of takeaway, anyway._

_And what, exactly, will you be taking away?_

_Why, your body, of course._

Chris hesitated again. _I don’t think so, buddy. I got too many things to worry about to give in to you._

_That’s alright,_ Psycho assured him. _I’ll just until this war is over, wait for your mind to be weak, then you’ll be all mi-. What was that?_

Chris looked around the room again to find no one anywhere. But that didn’t stop Psycho for whatever reason.

_Who are you? What are you doing? Let go of me-_

All at once Psycho’s presence was gone from Chris’ mind. He felt better than he had when he first got here like a burden had been lifted off him. Whatever had happened, Psycho wasn’t bothering him anymore. He sighed in a relaxed manner and walked to his bed. He got into bed and flipped the switch that was conveniently placed near the bed. As the lights went, Chris curled up under the sheets and closed his eyes. It didn’t take him long to go fast asleep.

Hearing his first snores, a shifting shadow stepped away from the corner of his room and made it’s way out into the corridor, leaving Chris none the wiser.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry fot the late upload, but the last few days have been extraordinarily busy for me.


	4. Puzzle Pieces

Chris woke with a start. He looked around his new room as the events of the day before caught up with him. Meeting Bloom and the Elements, his battle with Nightmare and subsequent initiation into the Resistance. Even when Sweetie showed him to the mess hall for dinner after the match…. Chris shook his head and got out of bed. He didn’t have a clock in his room, so he hoped he had gotten up at the right time. He walked over to his closet and opened the door before pulling out one of the drawers below the hanging space. In it were his red shirt, dark pants, and a single pair of socks. Chris let out a sigh.

I’m going to have to find some new clothes, he thought to himself, taking out the outfit and walking towards the bathroom. He got changed quickly and groomed himself. He left the bathroom and sat on the edge of his bed, putting his boots on. He finished, standing up and walking over to the closet again to grab his jacket. As he approached the door to make his way to the mess hall, someone knocked from the outside.

He had a puzzled look on his face as he opened the door to reveal Rainbow Dash in a pair gray of sweatpants, a blue tank top, and some white running shoes. “Nice to see you wake up early,” Dash quipped, giving him a bit of a sour look. “Here.” She held out a stack of papers for him to take. “These are your training regiment, a basic day-to-day schedule for the castle, and request forms for anything you might need or want. Within reason, of course.”

“Thanks, Dash,” he thanked her, taking the papers from her and flipping through them. He stopped at the last packet, concern crossing his face. “Hey, Dash?”

“Hm?” She asked, turning to face him after trying to walk away.

“What’s this one for?” He asked, holding up the bundle in question.

“Oh, that,” Rainbow responded in a bored manner. “That’s for your interview later.”

“What interview?”

“You know, that interview Nightmare mentioned before when she talked about your ‘tests.’”

“Oh, that,” Chris said, suddenly remembering the whole conversation. “Any idea who’s going to conduct my interview?”

“No idea,” Rainbow replied, shrugging her shoulders. “All I know is that it’ll be one of the Councilors.”

This gave Chris reason to pause. “Man, I really should have asked Sweetie Belle more questions during dinner,” Chris stated, rubbing his neck. He walked out of his room and closed the door before he began picking Dash’s brain. “Who’re the Councilors?”

“Geez, you really don’t know anything, do you?” Dash scoffed, turning to walk down the hallway. “There’s one Councilor for each race in the Resistance. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, a few minotaurs and griffons, some diamond dogs, the changelings, even a couple of dragons are all a part of the Resistance.”

“Wow, you guys really came together when Mondo attacked, didn’t you?”

“Psh, I wish,” Dash replied, crossing her arms. “Maybe if we had, Equestria, heck, all of Equis, would be a lot better off. Instead, we all tried to fight it out ourselves.” Rainbow moved her arms from a crossed position to holding herself. “King Mondo tore us all apart, one at a time. It wasn’t until a few years after he arrived that the different races finally got organized.”

Chris frowned morously. “I’m sorry to hear all that.” They walked along the corridor in silence, Dash keeping herself withdrawn.

“Hey, Dash?”

Rainbow looked up at Chris to see his face set in stone. The look would have frightened her, but instead, it put a warm feeling in her chest.

“I know we didn’t get off on the right foot, but,” he lifted his fist and stared at his morpher, “I promise I’ll do all I can to put your world back on track. I was given this power for a reason, and I’ll be verdammt before I squander it.”

Dash just stared at him for a while. She didn’t know why, but she believed him. After so long, she felt the one thing that had been covered by all her anger and contempt; hope. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as they continued down the hall. “Yeah, yeah,” Dash said, smiling and dispersing the blush on her cheeks. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself.”

Chris chuckled in response, oblivious to Rainbow Dash’s reaction to his words. “Yeah, can’t do much of anything on an empty stomach.” They walked for a few more minutes until they entered the mess hall and walked towards the line, grabbing a metal tray and silverware off a nearby cart. They walked through the line, grabbing a few items before they got to the main course consisting of pancakes, hash and hay browns, and sausage for the carnivores of the Resistance. Rainbow went before Chris, holding her tray out to the server, Heavy Ladle, a cream-colored pegasus with a lightish blue mane in a basic server’s uniform. Ladle took the plate and piled it high with pancakes, handing Dash back the tray with a smile. When Chris slid in after Rainbow, the smile on Ladle’s face disappeared and was instead replaced with a stern look.

“You.”

“Me?” Chris blanched, staring wide-eyed at the mare.

“Yes, you,” she replied, pointing a metal spatula at him. “One serving. And ONLY one!”

He gulped in response. “Y-yes, ma’am.”

Ladle gave a small nod. “Good,” she said, taking the tray from his outstretched hands. “Now, what would you like?”

“Um,” Chris hummed, getting over the shock. “Just a little of everything?”

“Even the hay browns?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as she put pancakes on his tray. “Most carnivores don’t like them.”

“Well, if I don’t try’em, I’ll never know,” he replied with a shrug.

“That’s a good answer,” Ladle said, placing the hay browns on the tray and passing it back to him. “Have a nice day.”

“You, too,” he replied before turning and walking away. Dash had waited patiently for Chris to end his encounter with the intimidating lunch mare.

“Given ya trouble?” She asked with a chuckle as Chris approached.

“Not a whole lot,” Chris replied, shaking his head as they walked towards an empty table. “She is kinda scary, though. But that’s my fault, really.”

“How so?” Rainbow asked as they made it to the table and sat down across from each other.

“Let’s just say I went a little overboard at dinner last night,” Chris said simply, covering his pancakes with the syrup provided on the table.

“What did you do?” Rainbow pressed, taking the syrup as Chris passed it to her.

“I, uh, ate several trays of food.”

Dash paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. “How did you even manage that?” She asked, giving him a puzzled look.

“Apparently, I was just as starved as I was dehydrated when Sweetie Belle and the others brought me in. According to Sweetie, Apple Bloom estimates that I was out for at least a few days.”

“Huh, weird,” was the colorful pegasus said in response before going back to her pancakes.

“I know,” Chris said, getting ready to take a bite of the hay browns, “and it felt almost instantaneous to me.”

“Not that,” Dash said, waving her hand. “The fact that, despite all that, you were able to hold your own against Nightmare Moon as long as you did.”

“Ah,” Chris responded, the fork with hay browns frozen in midair. “I’ve always had amazing endurance. Just ask my track-and-field coach.” He finally took the bite of hay browns he’d been holding and munched them for a bit. His face turned into one of silent dislike as he swallowed. “Note to self,” he said, taking a drink of water. “No more hay browns. Want’em?” He asked Rainbow, pointing his fork at the dish.

“No thanks,” Dash replied, digging into her fourth pancake.

“I’ll take them if you want.”

Chris looked up to find Sunset and the other Elements approaching.

“Yeah, sure,” he replied, waiting for everyone to sit down before passing Sunset his tray. She scrapped the hay browns on top of her own and gave his plate back. Sunset and Sweetie sat on either side of Chris, Pinkie taking the seat between Sunset and Rainbow while Mac and Fluttershy filled in the last two chairs between Sweetie and Rainbow.

“So, Chris,” Sunset began, digging into her double portion of browned food. “How’re you liking it here?”

“It’s actually kind of… I don’t know, calming?” He replied, scrunching his brow to think of the right word. “Like, I feel more complete here than I’ve ever felt…. I feel at home.” He looked up to see everypony staring at him with different expressions on their faces, some of surprise or shock, others of respect.

Finally, Sunset let out a small chuckle. “I can only hope you can stay that optimistic.” Her face darkened. “War has a way of changing everyone.”

The faces around the table darkened as heads bowed. Chris looked around at the downcast faces surrounding him, slowly chewing through a bite of sausage. He continued like this for a while before he finally reached Sweetie’s face directly to his left. She looked the worst of everypony at the table, tears forming in her eyes. Chris swallowed hard, letting out a sigh afterward.

“Nope.”

This simple statement shocked everypony out of the stupor. However, it seemed to have the most profound effect on Sunset. She whipped her head around to stare at Chris. “What did you say?”

“I said ‘Nope,’” Chris replied, shrugging and going in for a bite of his pancakes.

Sunset only continued to stare him, dumbfounded. “Wh-What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Chris began, swallowing his pancakes and washing them down with water. “That it doesn’t change everyone.”

“How can you say that?” Sunset demanded, gritting her teeth. “Everyone here has lost something. A home, a lifestyle, a loved one. Tell me, how can that not change someone?”

“That’s not war.” Chris’s usually relaxed face warped into something much more severe. He moved his arms to rest his elbows on the table and folded his hands in front of his chin. “That’s life. Life changes you. Life will take everything you love, everything you believe, and throw it away. It will knock you over and kick you while you’re down. Life is what causes loss. War is simply a tool life uses to continue its cruel regime of taking without giving back.” He looked up to stare Sunset in her eyes. “War… is just an excuse.”

Sunset visibly flinched under his gaze. “Chris….”

Everypony stared at the scene before them, none of them daring to break the silence that formed. Suddenly, Chris smiled and went back to eating. “Besides, you can’t change if you don’t want to.” Everypony blinked at this sudden change in demeanor. It was almost like he had never acted that way.

“Could someone pass the salt?” He asked, pointing to the shaker. Everypony shared a look before Pinkie passed Chris the seasoning.

* * *

Chris and Sweetie Belle walked down the hallways of the Castle of Two Sisters, Chris completely relaxed while Sweetie was somewhat tense. Chris’s strange outburst at breakfast had left her stunned, making her rethink what she thought she knew about the man. He carried himself in such a carefree way, and yet, she could feel something else. She kept stealing glances at him, observing the content clear on his face.

“Hey, Sweetie?” He suddenly asked, turning his head to look at her.

Sweetie was caught off guard by the sudden action and turned away quickly with a blush. “I’m sorry,” Sweetie apologized.

“Hm? Oh. Don’t worry about it. I’m used to people staring,” he replied, giving a nonchalant shrug. “But, can I ask you a question?”

“Oh. Yeah, sure,” Sweetie Belle said, her blush deepening from her mistake.

Chris looked forward again and sighed before asking his question. “What exactly is the situation when it comes to the war? How is the Resistance doing against Mondo?” He looked back at her, concern written all over his face.

Sweetie looked surprised at the unexpected question before frowning at the floor. “Honestly,” she sighed, “we’re not doing very well. King Mondo and his compatriots have control over most of Equestria, and even some territories and countries outside our borders. The only place that’s really safe is here in the Everfree. Thanks to Nightmare Moon’s magic, the forest works in our favor and keeps the machines from getting too close while the Mage. Ops. keeps up a cloak around the castle. We barely get by using quick scouting missions. Over the years, we’ve been able to accumulate some of Mondo’s tech and reverse engineer it. We owe our existence to the research and engineering department. Without them and their ability to repurpose Mondo’s tech, we would have been beaten a long time ago.”

Silence fell between them as they walked along, Sweetie downcast while Chris took in and processed all the information he’d been given. Neither of them said anything, and after a while, Sweetie started to get worried that he had gone back to the way he was in the mess hall. She looked up at him to find his face formed into one of determination rather than the dark experience from earlier. She furrowed her brow at this, wondering what was going on in his head. It didn’t take long for her to get her answer.

They stopped in front of the door leading to the interrogation room where he was to conduct his interview. “This is it,” Sweetie said, motioning towards the door. She hesitated for a moment. “I guess I’ll get going.” She turned and began to walk away.

“Sweetie Belle.” She stopped and turned to face him. His face was one of calm, soft compassion. “I will make this world better, even if it kills me to do so. King Mondo will fall. I promise.”

The determination and assurity in his voice caused her to pause and stare as he made his way into the room. Even after he’d gone in, she stared after him with a dumbfounded expression that melted into a smile as she walked away.

* * *

Chris sat in one of the two chairs in the interrogation room, waiting for his interviewer to make an appearance. As the minutes stretched on, he started to tap his fingers on the table in front of him in a familiar beat.

He only got through about half of the song before the door behind him opened up with a creak. He craned his neck back and was surprised to find Shining Armor in his captain’s attire closing the door behind him.

“Sorry for making you wait,” Shining apologized while moving to take the other seat across from Chris. “I had to wait for my wife to get back so she could look after our daughter. My name is-”

“Shining Armor, I know,” Chris said, waving his hand. “And before you ask how I know that, I’m pretty sure we’re going to get to that.”

Shining gave him a puzzled look. “O~kay,” he said slowly before clearing his throat. “You have the paperwork from Dash, correct?”

“Affirmative,” Chris said, passing the packet to the white unicorn. “Seems pretty extensive.”

“Well, we want to weed out any possible moles.”

“Understandable,” Chris replied with a shrug.

“So, since you’ve read the packet, do you need me to repeat the questions?”

“That won’t be necessary. I have a photographic memory and perfect recall.”

“Alright. Begin when you're ready.”

Chris inhaled extensively before letting loose with quickfire responses to the questions he had memorized. “Name, Chris Andrew Scott. Age, Twenty-one. Gender, Male. Hair, Blonde. Eyes, Grey. Height, six one. Weight, two-o-seven. Citizenry, not applicable. Race, Human. Magical ability, not applicable. Country/Area of origin, Earth. Combat training, Taekwondo, and Jiu-Jitsu. Talents, computer science, and engineering. Experience in the field, little to none. Preferred equipment, Psycho Morpher. Sub-category, Psycho Ranger armor, Psycho Sword, and Sling. Known family, not applicable. Background, college student.” Chris let out a long sigh, catching his breath after exhaling so much information at once. “Is that it?” He asked, focusing back in on Shining.

Shining blinked his eyes a few times, trying to catch up to the verbal regurgitation mentally. “Um, yes,” he answered, looking down at the form and thanking Celestia that he had enchanted his pen to write along with Chris’ words. Then he spotted something strange. “Hold on. Under ‘known family,’ you put ‘not applicable.’ Are you an orphan?” He looked up at Chris to see a frown stretching across his face.

“I’m not,” Chris replied, discontent in his voice. “However, I only know my father, and I don’t associate myself with him.”

“Okay,” Shining said, feeling uncomfortable under the gaze. “Do you mind if I ask you to be a bit clearer on that?”

Chris let his head fall and sighed heavily before looking back up. “My father took care of me until I was about six. He was… not a good parent. Child services took me away and put me in foster care, where I got bounced around a lot.”

“I’m sorry to hear all that,” Shining apologized, somewhat guilty in making Chris relive those moments. “Well, it seems everything is in order.” He stood and nodded to the recruit. “Enjoy your day.”

“Actually, Shining,” Chris said, getting the stallion’s attention before he could make it to the door, “there was something else I’d like to talk to you about.”

Slightly confused by this turn of events, Shining turned to the man. “It’ll need to be quick. My wife is expecting me home for lunch soon.”

“I need to learn more about this world beyond what I already know,” Chris started, showing a slight nervousness. “And the best place to start is… Twilight Sparkle.”

Shining Armor took a step back at the mention of the name, but it didn’t take long for his shock to turn to anger. “How do you know that name?” He demanded, balling his free hand into a fist.

“In my world,” he motioned to himself, “Equestria is involved in a TV series made for the entertainment of others.” Chris paused for a moment. “Twilight was the lead character. I need to know what happened to her if I’m going to make any sense of what happened to this world.”

Shining hesitated, his face going through several different expressions. He finally stopped and put a hand over his eyes and sighed. He looked up at Chris with a hard look in his eyes. “Maybe you should join us for lunch.”

* * *

Chris sat at an elaborately decorated table surrounded by the royal family. Shining had led him to his family’s apartment where they had walked into excited cries of “daddy” and a pink and blue blur that turned out to be Flurry Heart in a pale blue sundress running into her father’s arms. Cadence had walked out of the kitchen in jeans, a pink t-shirt, and an apron, and Shining had introduced Chris. Before he knew it, he was sitting at the table having lunch with the equine family.

“I was wondering when I’d get to meet our ‘mysterious’ recruit,” Cadence said in a sweet voice as she passed out fresh veggie sandwiches. “Although, I didn’t exactly think it would be this soon.”

Chris let out a nervous chuckle. “Actually, that’s kind of my fault. I might have blindsided Shining Armor with a question.”

“Oh?” Cadence questioned, raising an eyebrow. “What question?”

“Uh,” Chris sputtered, throwing a nervous glance in Shining’s direction.

Shining returned the look with one of understanding before turning his attention to his wife. “Maybe we should wait until after we’re finished with lunch.”

“Alright,” she replied, throwing a glance at Chris as he took a bite of his sandwich and tried to look inconspicuous. “So, Chris, we all saw your fight yesterday. Those powers of yours are quite something.”

Chris swallowed and smiled, glad for the change in topic. “Yeah, they’re pretty cool. Haven’t gotten the hang of them yet, though.”

“Don’t worry,” Shining told him, pouring more lemonade into his glass. “We’ll remedy that soon.”

“What do you mean by ‘we’?” Chris asked with a confused look.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t looked at your training regiment yet,” Shining said with a deadpan expression.

“I haven’t had time,” Chris replied, reaching into the pocket on the inside of his jacket and pulling out the stack of papers. He scanned over it quickly while Shining watched and waited, and Cadance attended to little Flurry Heart.

Suddenly, Chris’ eyes opened wide. “No way,” he looked up at Shining and pointed to the page. “You’re my combat trainer?”

“That’s right,” Shining affirmed smugly, taking a drink from his glass.

Chris only stared at him for a moment before leaning back in his chair, a blank expression on his face. “I’m dead.”

The small family let out laughs around him.

* * *

Cadence poured hot tea into the cups sitting in front of everyone. After lunch, they had moved into the living room. Cadance and Shining sat on a plush couch in front of Chris, who sat in a wooden chair with cushions, a wooden coffee table set between him and the couple. Shining and Cadance had sent Heart to her room to play so they could talk without having to censor anything to young ears.

“Alright, you two,” Cadence said as she set the teapot down, grabbed her cup, and straightened up. “What’s this all about?”

There was an awkward silence in the room as Chris threw a questioning glance at Shining, who shrugged and nodded. Shining grabbed his tea and took a drink before he started. “He wants to know about… Twily.”

Cadence dropped her cup and started coughing at the sudden shock of the statement. Chris shot his hand out in a static-covered blur and caught the cup, hissing in pain as some of the still-hot tea splashed onto his bare hand.

Cadence finally stopped coughing and looked towards Chris with wide eyes, her expression somewhere between confusion, pain, and anger. “Why do you want to know about her?” She demanded, skipping over every other question in her mind.

Chris let out a sigh as he put the cup down gently. “I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but… this world is not what it should be. Differences and parallels have been drawn where they shouldn’t have. Something went wrong with something at some point, and the most logical point to start at is Twilight Sparkle. If I can find out what happened to her, I might be able to find the deviation, and we can fix it.”

Cadence only stared at him for a moment. “You’re insane,” she finally stated. “How are we supposed to believe any of this?”

“Because it’s true,” Chris argued, getting to his feet and starting to pace. “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t belong here. This,” he pointed to the disguised morpher on his wrist, “does not belong here. Things are not what they should be. Mondo shouldn’t be here. These powers weren’t made for humans or any other being with a good heart. They were made for evil. To destroy and conquer! What does that say about me!?!” Chris had slowly started devolving into a state of panic as he spoke, and now both ponies could see that he was in the middle of a panic attack as he began to hyperventilate.

Shining got up from the coach almost instinctively and moved to put a firm hand on Chris’ shoulder. “Chris, you need to calm down.” Chris looked up to the stallion, his eyes desperate. “Just breathe, okay? Just in,” Shining took in a deep breath, “and out,” and let it out slowly. He repeated it a few times, Chris starting to mimic his actions. After a while, Chris calmed down and sat down, Shining, removing his hand as he did so.

“Sorry about that,” Chris apologized, rubbing his hands together slowly as Shining went back to his seat. “I haven’t done anything like that in forever.” He let out a sigh. “But, I think you two get the point.”

Shining and Cadence shared a look before looking back to him. “Yeah,” Shining sighed, “We do.” He paused and shared one more look with Cadence before he continued. “Twilight has always been extremely magically talented. She developed her magic almost twice as fast as other foals around her. However, she had a bit of an… attitude problem. She felt superior to those around her, and it didn’t help when our parents set her up to take the entrance exam to Celestia’s School of Magic. She passed the exam after a few tries and hatched a dragon egg. Celestia took her on as her student. This only fueled Twily’s arrogance, and she only got more so over time. She just got so… prideful in her abilities. By Twilight’s fourteenth birthday, Celestia took notice of her attitude, and when she started demanding to learn more and more powerful spells, Celestia refused. Celestia tried so hard to tone down her pride, but it only served to make Twily angry.” Shining breathed in heavily, tears in his eyes.

Cadence put a comforting hand on her husband’s arm, getting a reassuring nod from him in return. She turned to Chris and picked up where Shining Armor left off. “Twilight rebelled against Celestia and tried to steal several dangerous spell books and artifacts, some of which pertained to extremely dark magic. Celestia had no choice but to….”

“To banish her,” Chris finished for her when she couldn’t. Both ponies nodded sadly and got themselves under control. When they had, Chris continued. “At some point, she came back,” he pressed.

“Yes,” Shining answered, “but she wasn’t the same. She was… so much darker. She joined Mondo and took over Ponyville, even creating that twisted castle of hers. She even went by a new name. Midnight Sparkle.”

Chris's face contorted into one of concentration, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin against his interlaced fingers. “So that’s what’s different. Instead of Sunset Shimmer acting out and getting banished, and Twilight becoming the Element of Magic, it happened vice versa.” He paused for a moment, his brow furrowing in thought. “Did she come back before or after King Mondo arrived?”

“After,” Cadence answered without pause.

Chris nodded at the information, running all this new information through his mind to find when or how things had gone wrong in this world’s timeline. After a while, he straightened up and sighed, finally taking his cup of tea and sipping at it to lessen his growing headache. “I’m sorry, guys,” he told them, putting the cup down. “This was helpful, but I can’t see where everything went wrong. Maybe you should go through everything that happened after Midnight joined Mondo?”

“Uh, sure,” Shining said, taking a sip of his tea. “After Midnight joined King Mondo, we were pretty much stuck in our current position. It took a while, but Nightmare came up with a plan and sent an infiltration team to steal a statue in the Canterlot Castle gardens. When they brought it back, Nightmare combined her magic with the Elements of Harmony and released Discord. We tried to explain the situation to him, but he wouldn’t listen. He tried to take them on by himself, but….”

“What happened?” Chris asked, looking from one spouse to another.

“They… did a pretty big number on him. He came back to us in dire need, but his injuries were too extensive for us to handle. He’s currently in stasis.”

Chris was shocked at the news and let out a long breath. He looked up as Cadence continued the tale.

“Not long after that, the changelings joined the resistance.”

“Let me guess. It was right around the time you and Shining got married.”

“Yes, actually,” she confirmed. “Then, almost a year later, the Crystal Empire appeared, and Sombra joined King Mondo. Nothing really happened for a while until Sunset ascended into an alicorn. We thought we were ready to take them on then.” She let out a rhetorical chuckle. “We were wrong.”

“It took a long time for us to get ready for an assault on Ponyville,” Shining chimed in. “And by the time we were, something new arrived. A demon known as Tirek broke out of Tartarus and attacked King Mondo. They… tore him apart. Just like Discord, they decimated him, but this time, he didn’t get away. Sombra hung his head above the doors to Midnight’s castle as a warning.” Shining let out a sigh. “We’ve barely survived since then by scavenging off of the Empire. And recruits come slowly. Honestly, the last recruit to come in that was worth noting was Starlight Glimmer, and that was several years ago.”

Everyone fell silent after this. Chris ran his hands through his hair and let out some air. “I’m sorry, you guys, I just can’t see where the kink in the timeline is.” He laid his head back against his chair. “All we can do is go after Mondo.”

“But how are we supposed to do that?” Cadence questioned in concern.

“With this,” Chris once again held up his morpher. “Its counterparts were made to specifically go up against enemies like Mondo. The only difference is that this will be a little more like fighting fire with fire.” Chris paused before slapping his knees and standing up. “You guys have been really helpful. Thank you for your hospitality. Before I go, is there anything I can help you guys get cleaned up?”

“No, no,” Cadence said with a smile while she stood up. “You were more than helpful, getting lunch cleaned up.” She stretched her hand out for a handshake. “It was nice to meet you, Chris.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Cadence,” Chris replied, taking and shaking Cadence’s hand. They released each other, and Chris turned to Shining.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asked, stretching his hand towards the stallion.

“Yep,” Shining said, taking Chris’s hand and smiling. “Bright and early.”

They released their hands, and Shining walked Chris to the door. Chris exited, and they exchanged “goodbyes” before Chris turned, and Shining closed the door. Chris walked down the corridors alone, making his way towards his room and thinking about what he would do with the rest of his day.

“Hm….” He hummed to himself as he walked down the hall. He put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out his bundle of paper, flipping through them. “Maybe I’ll make a request for a computer,” he thought out loud to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> For original edits and more chapters, check out the original at Fimfiction.net


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